This application claims priority to an application entitled xe2x80x9cAlerting Device for Notifying Incoming Call by Using Ear Jack in Portable Mobile Phonexe2x80x9d filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Sep. 8, 2000 and assigned Ser. No. 2000-53525, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable mobile phone, and in particular, to an alerting device for notifying a user of an incoming call or an alarm.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable mobile phone notifies a user of an incoming call by sound, vibration or light. A user is also notified of an alarm in the form of a sound, a vibration or of a light. However, the sound of an incoming call can scarcely be recognized if the user has poor hearing or is in a noisy surrounding. Further, if the phone is in a pocket or in a bag of the user, an incoming call or an alarm can hardly be recognized by sound, vibration or light.
In an attempt to solve the above problems, a technology has been suggested to output an incoming call sound through an external earphone connected to portable mobile phone. According to this technology, a user is able to listen to the sound of an incoming call through an external earphone even if the user is in a noisy surrounding or has poor hearing, or even in the case when the phone is in a bag or in a pocket.
However, with the existing technology, it is impossible to use external vibration or light to notify the user.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system for notifying a user of an incoming call or an alarm from the outside of a portable mobile phone by using a standard earphone jack.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a system for notifying a user of an incoming call of a portable mobile phone according to the present invention. The system of a portable mobile phone having an earphone jack for connecting an earphone and an earphone operator for operating the earphone, includes an external incoming notifying system. The system further includes a discriminator, an incoming notifying operator, a selector and a controller installed in the portable mobile phone. The external incoming notifying system has at least one incoming notifying element and an earphone jack connector for connecting the incoming notifying elements to the earphone jack of the portable phone. The discriminator, connected to the earphone jack, determines which device of the earphone and the external incoming notifying system is connected to the earphone jack. The incoming notifying operator operates the external incoming notifying system. The selector connects the earphone operator or the incoming notifying operator to the earphone jack. The controller receives the determination of the discriminator connects one of the earphone operator ad the receiving notifying operator to the earphone jack.